1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image-producing unit that can be mounted removably in an image-forming apparatus that forms electrophotographic images such as a copier and a printer, and a use status detecting mechanism that is applied to the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In some image-forming apparatuses that form electrophotographic images, a part or the entire of a drum-shaped or belt-shaped image support and other components arranged around the support such as a charging portion, a writing portion, a developing portion, a transferring portion and a cleaning portion are housed in a single housing so as to constitute an image-producing unit, and this image-producing unit is provided removably in an image-forming apparatus, which is a main apparatus. With this configuration, it is attempted to improve the maintenance properties.
However, in this image-producing unit, the components gradually deteriorate through use, and damages or the degradation of the image quality occur over time. Therefore, it is necessary to replace the image-producing unit by a new one before damages of the components or the degradation of the image quality occur.
For example, for the image support, the life is determined in view of the abrasion of the photosensitive layer on the surface. When the image support is used over the life, the image quality may be deteriorated by poor charging or a change in sensitivity, and the inside of the apparatus may be soiled by scattering of toner caused by abnormal discharge.
For this reason, conventionally, the timing at which the image-producing unit should be replaced was detected based on the number of recording media that were used to form images, or the number of revolution of the image support or the integrated value of the driving time or the like, and a message indicating that the unit should be replaced was generated so as to urge the user to replace the image-producing unit. When the user replaced the image-producing unit to a new one, the integrated value was cleared and addition was started anew.
However, in many types of the image-producing unit, the image-producing unit can be mounted on an image-forming apparatus, which is a main apparatus, regardless of whether the unit is in a used or unused state, and therefore when an image-producing unit that is in use is removed and an unused image-producing unit should be mounted, it is possible to erroneously mount a used image-producing unit. In particular, it is difficult to check out whether an image-producing unit to be mounted is in a used state or is in an unused state by visual observation, so that it is highly possible that the user erroneously mounts an image-producing unit that is in a used state.
Therefore, various structures are proposed to determine whether or not an image-producing unit to be mounted anew on an image-forming apparatus, which is a main apparatus, is in an unused state. Among these, a proposal to mark an image-producing unit to indicate that it is in a used state is suitable for a recycle process of the image-producing unit, because the unit can be returned to be in an unused state easily, but lacks in reliability regarding the determination whether the image-producing unit is in an unused state or in a used state.
In view of this point, a structure including an elliptical gear and a fixed hook is known, and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication JP-A 2000-47549 (2000) discloses a structure in which detecting means included in an image-forming apparatus, which is a main apparatus, irreversibly deform or move a part of the image-producing unit. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication. JP-A 11-84987 (1999) discloses a structure in which an engagement hole formed in the image-producing unit is closed when the unit is mounted on an image-forming apparatus, which is a main apparatus. These structures are intended to improve the reliability in the determination whether the image-producing unit is in an unused state or in a used state.
However, in the conventional structure that is intended to improve determination whether the image-producing unit is in an unused state or in a used state, it is necessary to add a large number of components to the image-producing unit, which disadvantageously makes a recycle process of the image-producing unit complicated and difficult and may increase the cost. These problems are generally caused not only in the image-producing unit in an image-forming apparatus, but also in an exchange unit that is configured to be removable with respect to a main apparatus.
An object of the invention is to provide a use status detecting mechanism that can improve the reliability in determination whether an exchange unit is in an unused state or in a used state without making a recycle process of the exchange unit complicated or difficult, by forming a mark indicating that the unit is in a used state in such a manner that the mark cannot easily be returned to the original state while reducing the number of components to be added to the exchange unit, and an image-producing unit to which the use status detecting mechanism is applied.
The invention includes the following features to solve the above-described problems.
The invention provides a use status detecting mechanism comprising:
a moving member that is provided in an exchange unit that is provided removably in a main apparatus, can advance to and retreat from an exposed position in the exchange unit that can be visually observed from the outside, and can be detected by detecting means provided in the main apparatus; and
a state-switching-member for retaining either a state where the moving member is exposed to the exposed position or a state where the moving member is retreated from the exposed position, depending on whether the exchange unit is in an unused state or in a used state.
According to the invention, the moving member that is provided so as to be capable of advancing to and retreating from an exposed position in the exchange unit that can be visually observed from the outside and is detected by detecting means provided in the main apparatus is retained to be in the state where the moving member is exposed to the exposed position or the state where the moving member is retreated from the exposed position, depending on whether the exchange unit is in an unused state or in a used state. Therefore, as a result of visual observation whether the moving member is exposed to the exposed position or retreated from the exposed position, and as a result of detecting the moving member by the detecting means, it is determined accurately that the exchange unit is in the unused state or the used state. Furthermore, the moving member is displaced reversibly between the state where the moving member is exposed to the exposed position and the state where the moving member is retreated from the exposed position. Consequently, it is identified repeatedly with the same moving member whether the exchange unit is in an unused state or in a used state by displacing the moving member having been displaced from the state corresponding to the unused state of the exchange unit to the state corresponding to the used state to be in the state corresponding to the unused state at the time of a recycle process of the exchange unit.
Thus, the reliability in determination as to the unused state and the used state of an exchange unit can be improved without making a recycle process of the exchange unit complicated and difficult, by forming a mark indicating that the exchange unit is in a used state in such a manner that the mark cannot easily be returned to the original state, while reducing the number of components to be added to the exchange unit.
In the invention, it is preferable that the state-switching member switches the state with respect to the exposed position of the moving member by a driving force that is applied on the inside of the exchange unit from the main apparatus after the exchange unit is mounted on the main apparatus.
According to the invention, the state with respect to the exposed position of the moving member is changed by a driving force that is applied on the inside of the exchange unit mounted on the main apparatus from the main apparatus. Therefore, before the exchange unit is mounted on the main apparatus, during which the driving force is not applied on the inside of the exchange unit from the main apparatus, the moving member is not displaced from the state corresponding to the unused state of the exchange unit to the state corresponding to the used state. Furthermore, the moving member that has been displaced to the state corresponding to the used state is displaced from the state corresponding to the used state to the state corresponding to the unused state only by work with respect to the inside of the exchange unit in a recycle process or the like. Therefore, the moving member is not displaced to the state corresponding to the used state when an unused exchange unit is not used, and the moving member is not displaced to the state corresponding to the unused state when a used exchange unit is not subjected to a recycle process, so that it is determined accurately whether the exchange unit is in an unused state or a used state, based on the state of the moving member.
In the invention, it is preferable that the state-switching member includes:
an elastic member for providing a force to move the moving member to a position corresponding to a used state;
a regulating member for regulating the movement of the moving member to the position corresponding to the used state by being in contact with a protrusion projected from a portion of the moving member in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which the moving member advances and retreats in a portion around the axis parallel to the direction of the advancement and retreat; and
a rotation transmitting member for rotating the moving member around the axis that is parallel to the direction of the advancement and retreat by a driving force that is applied from the main apparatus.
According to the invention, in the state where the driving force is not applied on the inside of the exchange unit from the main apparatus, the displacement of the moving member to the position corresponding to the used state by a force provided by the elastic member is regulated by the contact of the protrusion projected from a portion of the moving member with the regulating member. Therefore, in the unused exchange unit, the state corresponding to the unused state of the moving member is maintained. On the other hand, when the driving force is applied on the inside of the exchange unit from the main apparatus, the moving member is rotated by the rotation transmitting member, and the contact of the protrusion of the moving member with the regulating member is canceled and the moving member is displaced to the position corresponding to the used state by the force provided by the elastic member. Therefore, in the used exchange unit, the state corresponding to the used state of the moving member is maintained.
The invention provides an image-producing unit that is provided removably in an electrophotographic image-forming apparatus, the image-producing unit comprising:
a moving member that can advance to and retreat from an exposed position in the image-producing unit that can be visually observed from the outside, and is detected by detecting means provided in the image-forming apparatus; and
a use status detecting mechanism including a state-switching member for retaining a state where the moving member is exposed to the exposed position and a state where the moving member is retreated from the exposed position, depending on whether the unit is in an unused state or a used state.
In the invention it is preferable that the state-switching member switches the state with respect to the exposed position of the moving member by a driving force that is applied from the image-forming apparatus after the image-producing unit is mounted on the image-forming apparatus.
In the invention, it is preferable that the state-switching member includes:
an elastic member for providing a force to move the moving member to a position corresponding to a used state;
a regulating member for regulating the movement of the moving member to the position corresponding to the used state by being in contact with a protrusion projected from a portion of the moving member in the direction orthogonal to the direction in which the moving member advances and retreats in a portion around the axis parallel to the direction of the advancement and retreat; and
a rotation transmitting member for rotating the moving member around the axis that is parallel to the direction of the advancement and retreat by a driving force that is applied from the image-forming apparatus.
According to the invention, the use status detecting mechanism described above is provided in the image-producing unit that is provided removably in an electrophotographic image-forming apparatus, which is the main apparatus. Therefore, as a result of visual observation whether the moving member is exposed to the exposed position or retreated from the exposed position, and as a result of detecting the moving member by the detecting means, it is determined accurately that the exchange unit is in the unused state or the used state. Furthermore, it is identified repeatedly with the same moving member whether the image-producing unit is in an unused state or a used state by displacing the moving member having been displaced from the state corresponding to the unused state of the image-producing unit to the state corresponding to the used state to be in the state corresponding to the unused state at the time of a recycle process of the image-producing unit.